Politics

Rick Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English

GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum traveled to Puerto Rico ahead of its Republican primary (on Sunday) and lectured the population on a U.S. federal law that doesn't exist.

In an interview with the San Juan newspaper El Vocero, Santorum said that he hoped Puerto Rico would become the 51st state of the United States, but then added "as in any other state, you have to comply with this and any federal law. And that is that English has to be the main language."

"There are other states with more than one language as is the case in Hawaii, but to be a state in the United States, English has to be the main language."

However, there is no federal law that mandates English as the official language of the United States, reports the NY Daily News.

The question of whether to become a state, or remain a commonwealth, comes up to vote for Puerto Rico on November 6, although the final vote is with the U.S. Congress.

The people of Puerto Rico have voted on statehood before and, each time, they have rejected it.